Take Back Minnesota: The good news

The following was written in "The District Activist," which you can read at www.afscme.org:

Because of the hundres of union members who called their legislators or marched on the Capitol Rotunda, the following anti-worker proposals were killed and buried in the last hours of the session:

Freezing public employee wages for two years - DEAD.

Taking away the right to strike from Unit 4 state employees and state Radio Communications Operators - DEAD.

Imposing crippling limits on the right of public employee unions to bargain (the structural balance bill) - DEAD.

Mandating health insurance cuts for state workers - DEAD.

Proposals to build private prisons - DEAD.

Efforts to encourage privatization of school services - DEAD.

The debate on the service cuts is just beginning. A broad coalition of AFSCME, the Minnesota AFL-CIO, the Minnesota Council of Non-profits, 21 other labor groups and 36 community organizations has formed. This coalition is sticking together for the next phase of the struggle. Our common task is to make every Minnesotan aware of the horrible damage that this budget will do to our state as it happens, and urge thousands of citizens to hold their legislators accountable for how they voted.

Last revised 07/12/03. Some images courtesy of AFSCME from the Webmasters Corner at AFSCME.org. The flag image above is courtesy of wildlandfire.com. Please visit their site - the image is to honor and remember the firefighters who lost their lives in the tragedies of September 11, 2001. Send comments and suggestions to the webmaster: Sheryl Johnson